Petunia plant named &#39;Petnitbl&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Petunia  plant named ‘Petnitbl’ characterized by its trailing, outwardly spreading and mounded plant habit, freely branching habit, freely flowering habit, single flowers that are very dark blue in color, and good garden performance.

LATIN NAME OF THE GENUS AND SPECIES OF THE PLANT CLAIMED

Petunia hybrida

VARIETAL DENOMINATION

‘Petnitbl’

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant botanically known as Petunia hybrida and referred to by the cultivar name ‘Petnibl.’

The new Petunia is the product of a planned breeding program conducted by the inventor in Enkhuizen, Netherlands. The new Petunia cultivar is freely flowering with trailing and spreading plant habit and attractive leaf and flower coloration.

The new Petunia originated from a cross-pollination made by the inventor in August 2000 of a proprietary selection of Petunia hybrida identified as code number ‘Y 1003’ not patented, as the female, or seed parent, with a proprietary selection of Petunia hybrida identified as code number ‘Z4120,’ not patented, as the male, or pollen parent. The new Petunia was selected as a single plant from the resulting progeny of the cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Enkhuizen, Netherlands in June 2001.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal vegetative cuttings since June 2001, in Enkhuizen, Netherlands has shown that the unique features of this new Petunia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar ‘Petnitbl’ have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity and daylength without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Petnitbl.’ These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Petnitbl’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Trailing, outwardly spreading and mounded plant habit

2. Freely branching habit

3. Freely flowering habit

4. Single flowers that are very dark velvet like blue in color

5. Good garden performance

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Enkhuizen, Netherlands, plants of the new Petunia named ‘Petnitbl’ differed from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristic:

1. Plants of the new Petunia are slightly mounded whereas plants of the female parent selection are very flat and trailing.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Enkhuizen, Netherlands, plants of the new Petunia differed from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristic:

1. Plants of the new Petunia have medium size flowers whereas flowers of the male parent selection are very big. TABLE 1 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE NEW CULTIVAR ‘PETNITBL’ AND A SIMILAR CULTIVAR Surfinia Blue ‘Sunblu’ (Not ‘Petnitbl’ patented) Flower color Darker blue Lighter, more purple Flower shape Petals more round at edge Petals more pointed at edge Plant habit Longer branches more Shorter branches, less trailing trailing Earliness Later Earlier

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Petunia.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CULTWVAR

The observations and measurements describe plants grown in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands, practice circumstances indoor in hanging baskets of diameter 25 cm during the early Spring with day temperatures ranging from 14 to 16° C., night temperatures ranging from 12 to 14° C. Plants used for the photographs and description were about 10 weeks from planting rooted cuttings.

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

THE PLANT

-   Classification:     -   -   Botantical.—Petunia hybrida.         -   Parentage.—Female parent: Proprietary selection of Petunia             hybrida identified as code number ‘Y1003,’ not patented.             Male parent: Proprietary selection of Petunia hybrida             identified as code number ‘Z4120,’ not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type cutting.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—— Summer and winter: About 12 days             at 20° C.         -   Time to develop roots, Summer R..—About 21 days at 20°C.         -   Time to develop roots, Winter.—About 28 days at 16° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous, white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching. -   Plant description:     -   -   Form.—Annual flowering plant; indeterminate; initially             upright, then trailing and outwardly spreading; uniformly             mounded plant form. Freely branching habit; about six to             eight basal branches each with about six to eight lateral             branches. Pinching enhances development of lateral branches.         -   Usage.—Appropriate for hanging baskets, window boxes, patio             containers, and landscape applications.         -   Plant height.—About 16 cm.         -   Plant diameter (area of spread).—About 37 cm.         -   Vigor.—Vigorous; rapid growth rate.         -   Lateral branches.—— Length: About 18 cm — Diameter: About 3             mm — Internode length: About 2-2.5 cm — Texture: Pubescent —             Color: 1 44C (with some anthocyanin).         -   Foliage description.—— Arrangement: Alternate before             flowering; opposite after flowers develop; simple — Length:             About 5.5 cm — Width: About 2.3 cm — Shape: Ovate — Apex:             Broadly acute — Base: Attenuate — Margin: Entire — Texture,             upper and lower surfaces: Sparsely pubescent; glandular —             Venation pattern: Pinnate.         -   Color.—— Developing and fully expanded leaves, upper             surface: 147A — Developing and fully expanded leaves, lower             surface: 147A — Venation, lower surface: 147C — Petiole             length: About 1.3 cm — Petiole diameter: About 3 mm —             Petiole color, upper and lower surfaces: 146C — Petiole             texture: Sparsely pubescent. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower type and habit.—Single salverform flowers; flowers             face mostly upward and outward; axillary. Freely flowering             habit, about two to three open flowers and about three             flower buds per lateral branch at a time.         -   Natural flowering season.—Long day responsive; long             flowering period, spring until frost in the autumn;             flowering continuous during this period. Plants start             flowering about eight weeks after planting rooted cuttings.             Flowers persistent.         -   Flower longevity on the plant.—About seven to ten days.         -   Fragrance.—Faint, sweet.         -   Flower size.—— Diameter: About 5 cm — Tube length: About 3.5             cm — Throat diameter, middle: About 1.2 cm — Tube diameter,             in the middle: About 1 cm.         -   Flower buds.—— Length: About 4.5 cm — Diameter: About 7 mm —             Shape: Elongated oblong with ruffled apices — Color, basal             part: More grey than 79A.         -   Petals.—— Quantity/arrangement: About five petals fused in a             single whorl, funnel form — Length from throat: About 2.3 cm             — Width: About 2.3 cm — Shape: Roughly fan-shaped — Apex:             Broadly acute — Margin: Entire, undulate — Texture, upper             and lower surfaces: Smooth, velvety.         -   Color.—— When opening, upper surface: The shade is 86A but             the flower color is much deeper, velvet like — When opening,             lower surface: N92A, venation 86A — Fully opened, upper             surface: The shade is 86A but the flower color is much             deeper, velvet like — Fully opened, lower surface: 86A,             venation N92A — Flower throat (inside): Darker than N92A —             Flower tube (outside): N92A, no venation main. — Venation,             tube: N92A.         -   Sepals.—— Arrangement/appearance: Single whorl of five             sepals fused at base, star-shaped — Length: About 2 cm —             Width: About 4 mm — Shape: Elliptic — Apex: Acute — Margin:             Entire — Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent —             Color, upper surface: 147A — Color, lower surface: 147B.         -   Peduncles.—— Length: About 3 cm — Width: About 0.1 cm —             Angle: About 45 to 600 from the stem — Strength: Strong —             Texture: Pubescent — Color: 144A with some anthocyanin.         -   Reproductive organs.—— Stamens, quantity per flower: About             five — Anther shape: Ovoid — Anther size: About 1 mm by 1 mm             — Anther color: 97A — Pollen amount: Scarce — Pollen color:             97A — Pistils, quantity per flower: One — Pistil length:             About 2 cm — Style length: About 1.7 cm — Style color: 144D             base, top N77 — Stigma shape: Anvil-shaped — Stigma color:             148A — Ovary color: 145A — Seed/fruit: Seed and/or fruit             production has not been observed. -   Disease and pest resistance: Plants of the new Petunia have not been     noted to be resistant to pathogens or pests common to Petunia. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Petunia have been observed to     have good garden performance. Plants of the new Petunia have been     noted to tolerate rain, wind, and temperatures from 0 to 30° C. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant named ‘Petnitbl’, as substantially illustrated and described herein. 